Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading
Acts 20:17–38

From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. When they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus. And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace. “And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship. (NRSV)

Reflection
In their book Thinking Fast Thinking Slow, Daniel Kahneman points out that the human brain typically evaluates an event by how it ended, rather than the quality of any other experience along the way. Whether closing arguments, goodbye send-offs, or the frequently popular last lectures, how we close counts. Biblically, this was certainly the case for Moses, who left an extensive parting address in the Pentateuch, and for Jesus who in Luke’s gospel gives a memorable speech at the Last Supper. It’s no surprise then that the author of Acts wants us to consider Paul’s closing words to his West Asian, mostly gentile, communities like that in Ephesus.

Paul wants to make his goodbye count. So, he leaves the community with a vital testimony and wisdom that will be their inheritance as they seek to live out the faith in Christ Paul has helped nourish within them. “Support the weak,” he says, and those of us familiar with the common benediction by many a preacher at the end of a worship service, might continue with, “help the suffering, honor all people. Love and serve the Lord.” The benediction marks the end of the service, but the beginning of our mission in the world. Likewise, Paul is not only pressing on toward Jerusalem and his own death, much like his mentor and Lord Jesus, he’s also pressing the Ephesian community, through its elders, toward their own mission.

“Keep watch,” Paul says, over the flock which the Spirit made these elders stewards. Dangers abound both from outside and within the community. But Paul reminds them that same Spirit that gave you this charge will enable you to keep it. He rehearses his personal witness and personal frustrations, as if to say, “take from me, only the Spirit could guide me through these trials!”

Paul speaks as a mentor and elder, but also as a midwife to the relationship between the Ephesian community and God. And so, with his words, he gradually withdraws, commending the community to God’s care. How we end matters. Our testimony, our wisdom, and our love is our legacy.

Prayer
Gracious God, I give you thanks this day for allowing me to speak into the lives of others. Take whatever I have planted, by your grace, and nourish it until it blossoms into what reflects your love, beauty, and justice. Amen.

Written by Joseph L. Morrow, Associate Pastor for Evangelism and Community Engagement

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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